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Rays bond with tacos, Rolling Stones

Rays bond with tacos, Rolling Stones

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MLB.com |

ST. PETERSBURG -- Do wins create the mood, or does the mood create wins? When it comes to the Tampa Bay Rays, manager Joe Maddon truly thinks it is a little bit of both.

Clearly, the Rays entered Tuesday's Game 5 of the American League Division Series in a far more jovial mood then they were both before and after the losses in Games 1 and 2. Maddon thinks his team's lost enthusiasm played a part in the lack of results earlier in the series.

"We were just too quiet early," Maddon said. "I couldn't understand it, why we were so quiet. That's not who we are. So we're a little bit louder now and I like that, so I have a pretty good feeling about us playing a good game tonight."

In many ways, the personality of the Rays is similar to the one displayed by Maddon. He is loose and energetic and likes his team to be the same way.

To inspire some more togetherness in the hours leading up to Game 5, Maddon brought them some snacks.

"I brought a bunch of tacos in today to just get them together, so they're eating tacos today and having good conversation," Maddon said. "They've been good. They've been really good since we got off the deck in Texas. We had the big inning late in that third game, and they've been chirping a lot better. I like their interaction a lot better."

Maddon tried to get himself into a good place leading up to Game 5 by listening to one of his favorite bands -- The Rolling Stones.

"[I] went right to the Stones, man, real loud, as soon as I walked in today. [It] felt really good [and] gets you in the right zone," said Maddon. "[I] actually printed out the lyrics for 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' for John Jaso. We had a discrepancy on one of the verses, and he was right. [Jaso] might be about 20 some years old, but he's really good at ancient music. He's really good."

Maddon hoped by the end of the night, the Stones would be blaring in the clubhouse again -- serving as celebratory music for a trip to the American League Championship Series.